### Contents

- The **"Charter"**: Rationale and Purpose for creating topic-based chat rooms (see below).
- The **"Index"**: a [community wiki answer](https://christianity.meta.stackexchange.com/a/7239/10672) containing the list to active chat rooms that are topic based.  A quick reference that can be updated by everyone as topics, rooms, and hosts are added/removed/edited.
- The **"Welcome Message"**: A [community wiki answer](https://christianity.meta.stackexchange.com/a/7240/10672) containing instruction to new visitors.  From comments in the main site, we can direct **new visitors** by simply copying [the link](https://christianity.meta.stackexchange.com/a/7240/10672).
- The **"Guide"**: A [community wiki answer](https://christianity.meta.stackexchange.com/a/7241/10672) containing the guide for **chat room hosts** to update the Index.  

### Rationale of the List

I have noticed that there are 1-2 dozen topics that new users have more difficulties than others.  These are usually topics that can easily turn a question into:
  - opinion-based 
  - requiring scope
  - off topic
  - philosophical / sociological
  - truth questions

### Purpose of the List

One solution is to direct these new users to a topic-based chat rooms for those topics where active users there can:

- Support the birthing of good questions within that topic (especially for new users)

- Direct spillover discussion to the appropriate chatroom rather than these 2 extremes:
   - individual chat rooms created for an answer (good discussions on the topic are then scattered and hard to find)
   - Upper Room (too many topics discussed in one room, making it hard to find the relevant topic)

  Badly formed questions by new users can then easily be guided in one of these topic-based chat room rather than cluttering comments.

- Ongoing discussion of the topic by regular users interested in that topic

### Not all Christian topics are listed

The list of topics is purposely limited only for topics that tend to generate a lot of confusion / disagreement / debate, which then hurt the objectivity of the questions.